Tis The Season
by BlueTitan
Summary: A late Christmas story written in poetic form. It's Christmas Eve and BeastBoy gets up for a late night snack before trying to sleep. Only to discover someone whom the holiday spirit doesn't quite seem to reach.


**Note from the Author:** This is a little something I wrote while home for the holidays. I woke up in the morning and Titans Tower and the words "Twas' the Night Before Christmas" popped into my head. Next thing I know, I've got a pencil and paper in hand, started writing, and this is the result. It's kind of a poem/story. I realize it's a bit off posting a Christmas story just after Christmas, but I really got into it and didn't feel like waiting a year to put it up. So I hope you can still get into it even though the holiday season is past.

* * *

**"Tis The Season"**

Twas the night before Christmas,

And all through the tower.

BeastBoy tossed and turned,

Unable to sleep for the last hour.

* * *

"Dude," he groaned,

Sitting up in his bed.

"If I don't get some sleep soon,

By morning I'll be better off dead."

* * *

He tore back the covers,

Swinging his feet onto the floor.

He groggily walked across his room,

Making his way to the door.

* * *

Through the hallways he crept,

Darkened by the dead of night.

Hoping a snack from the kitchen,

Would be all he needed to help him sleep tight.

* * *

Arriving in the kitchen,

He opened the refrigerator door.

A glass in one hand,

He removed a carton of soymilk to pour.

* * *

Topping off his glass,

He deposited the carton back inside.

The sight of the liquid alone seemed to help,

Drowsiness enveloping his eyes.

* * *

BeastBoy sat at the table beside a plate of cookies,

Left for a certain jolly visitor and his gift filled sack.

He grinned swiping a cookie to go with his milk,

"I'm sure Santa won't mind if a good boy shares his snack."

* * *

He chomped down the cookie,

Chasing it down with his silky white drink.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve,

Confident he could sleep now without even having to think.

* * *

BeastBoy got up to leave,

About to retreat back through the door.

But he stopped suddenly feeling as though he wasn't alone,

As if something was there he hadn't noticed before.

* * *

He turned around,

Observing more closely the main room's dim gloom.

The stars outside dotting the winter sky,

The most natural night light to help brighten the room.

* * *

He scanned along the windows,

Across the floor where they'd set up a tree.

Dazzled by the twinkling lights and hanging decorations of colored glass,

Truly a sight to see.

* * *

"Guess I musta' been imagining things,"

He shrugged finding nothing peculiar or out of place.

BeastBoy turned back to the door,

About to leave once more and quicken his pace.

* * *

But it was then that he caught a glimpse,

Of something just escaping the trees gentle light.

Something or rather someone,

Concealed by the ever-darkened mask of the still early night.

* * *

BeastBoy kept down low,

Not wishing to disturb.

He crept slowly and quietly forward,

Without so much as a word.

* * *

Who else besides him would be up so late?

By them self in the dark with no one around.

That, he could not answer as he continued to advance,

All without making a sound.

* * *

BeastBoy stood hidden behind the base of the tree,

Now close enough for things to be seen clear.

A young girl staring out the window,

Too far to touch but close enough to hear.

* * *

"Another Christmas upon us,

About to come and go."

She said in an empty tone,

With eyes as cold as the new fallen snow.

* * *

"I'd have thought I'd be used to this by now,"

She continued looking across the sea.

"All the places in all the world,

And still no place for me."

* * *

It appeared the holiday season,

Had taken a bit of a toll.

BeastBoy could do nothing but sorrowfully look and listen,

As the girl known as Raven bared her soul.

* * *

"It's probably for the best,

Looking back on how I've grown.

After all, there's no one around to hurt you,

When you go through life alone."

* * *

BeastBoy couldn't tell precisely what she was feeling,

As she pulled up her hood.

Raven may not have wanted to cry,

But he certainly would.

* * *

He sniffled,

His eyes growing misty and wiping his nose.

"Who's there?" Raven called,

BeastBoy shrank back, fearing he'd been exposed.

* * *

Raven looked in time,

Only to find a few of the tree's branches sway.

It appeared to her either a wind had picked up inside the tower,

Or someone had come upon her saddening display.

* * *

Raven spread her gaze across the room,

Searching with an alerted stare.

All around she looked high and low,

But no one appeared to be there.

* * *

Raven gave one final look,

But finding nothing new.

She moved away from the window,

Resuming her downcast view.

* * *

She walked past the various decorations,

Among them, a large wreath with a dove on each side above.

Raven paused giving a curious second glance,

"I don't remember that wreath having more than one dove."

* * *

Raven dismissed it, exiting the room,

Not thinking much of what she'd seen.

If only there'd been a little more light,

She might've noticed one of the doves was a familiar shade of green.

* * *

It flew from its perch on the wreath,

Fluttering down onto the floor and slightly tilting its head.

The dove folded its wings beginning to change,

The resumed form of BeastBoy looking sadly where Raven had fled.

* * *

A part of Raven's persona was made clear,

Though not the most welcomely felt.

Being depressing around others was all she could do,

To keep from depressing herself.

* * *

BeastBoy could feel his jovial mood slipping,

His Christmas spirit growing weak.

After all it's kind of hard to be merry,

When someone else's holiday is so bleak.

* * *

And then from across the ocean,

A feint gong from the city clock tower began to play.

The clock in the center of the city had just struck twelve,

It was now officially Christmas Day.

* * *

BeastBoy listened attentively,

Perking up an ear.

Checking a nearby clock to verify,

After all his waiting, it was finally here.

* * *

Like an excited child he ran,

Sliding on his knees beneath the tree.

"It's too early for Santa," he beamed,

"But I wonder what everyone else got me."

* * *

He picked up one of the bigger boxes underneath,

One clearly made out to him.

He shook the present vigorously,

Trying to determine what was contained within.

* * *

"A skateboard, a paintball gun, a Game Station 3?"

He guessed out loud, jiggling the package close to his head.

"Or maybe, just maybe,

Some assembly required for a brand new moped."

* * *

His smile grew wider,

Grinning with such anticipation his teeth might shatter.

But his happiness quickly faded,

Noticing a present addressed to the one person Christmas didn't seem to matter.

* * *

He put down his gift,

Softly holding the tag of Raven's present as gently as could be.

BeastBoy seized up one of her presents, rising to his feet,

She needed a gift more than he.

* * *

A gift tucked under his arm he made his way to Raven's room,

Considering the possibility of being met with scorn.

But he felt as though it needed to be done,

Like it couldn't wait till Christmas morn.

* * *

Elsewhere, Raven had just arrived at her quarters,

Entering her room, the door closing behind.

Hardly tired at all,

Her view of the holidays wearing on her mind.

* * *

When suddenly came a steady knock from her door,

Looking back, her face a blank slate.

Not that she'd been sleeping,

But still a bit annoyed someone would disturb her so late.

* * *

She walked back to the door,

Straightening her hood.

Closing her eyes to let out an aggravated sigh,

"This had better be good."

* * *

The door slid open,

But to her surprise, finding no one in sight.

She leaned out of the doorway to search the hall,

Looking left and looking right.

* * *

Her eyes narrowed slightly,

Annoyance clear without speaking a word.

Either this was an infantile joke,

Or whoever knocked had lost their nerve.

* * *

And of infantile jokes,

BeastBoy's name came to mind and all the pranks he did.

Raven placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head,

"Of all the stupid…"

* * *

And that's when she noticed,

The gift outside lying at her feet.

A present wrapped in bright green and red paper,

Though wrapped hardly neat.

* * *

Picking up the present and observing the tag,

'To Raven from BB.'

And below a small note was disclosed reading:

'You need this more than me.'

* * *

Raven raised an eyebrow,

Then beginning to undo the ribbon and remove the tag.

She then started to open it cautiously,

Being from BeastBoy, it could still potentially be a gag.

* * *

Yet what she found inside hardly struck her as a joke,

Nor as something offensive or that BeastBoy would've deemed funny.

Raven simply stared at her gift as a single tear escaped down her cheek,

"Why that… little green dummy."

* * *

A photo of herself and the other Titans,

Whose friendship with had long since grown.

And at the base of the silver frame that encased it,

A simple four-word inscription: 'YOU ARE NEVER ALONE'.

* * *

Raven gripped the frame tightly as she went back inside,

Content without having to breath a sound.

One of the rare occasions BeastBoy had gotten Raven to smile,

And he wasn't even around.

* * *

Christmas morning finally came,

That is to say it had already been.

But now it was the kind where the sun was out,

And the morning was more apparent then.

* * *

Raven was the first to arrive in the main room,

As usual and as empty of emotion as she would often show.

But underneath all that, her spirits were higher,

Dawning an unseen healthy glow.

* * *

Raven thought for sure she would've been the only one up so early,

As often was the routine.

But today was an exception, finding BeastBoy impatiently waiting,

But with a smile she could not have foreseen.

* * *

Though young at heart he restrained himself,

Not tearing into his presents before the others awoke.

Looking up from the floor and mustering a grin,

"Merry Christmas, Raven," he happily spoke.

* * *

Maintaining an empty expression she gave a nod,

Giving no spoken reply.

Raven did have an image to maintain,

And emotions to hide.

* * *

BeastBoy merely smiled to show he understood,

Deciding not to pester her to the point where his murder would be planned.

There were more pressing matters in need of his attention,

Turning back to his presents at hand.

* * *

And as he rubbed his hands in waiting,

An envelope presented from over his shoulder.

He looked up from the floor at Raven,

Whose eyes had grown just a bit less colder.

* * *

BeastBoy looked in question,

At what he assumed was a gesture with one the people with which he lived.

But he was still a bit unsure,

Regarding the envelope Raven was seemingly trying to give.

* * *

"Since I got mine early," she began,

In the voice so dry and empty that he'd come to know.

"It's… only fair," she finished,

As much of an explanation as she was willing to go.

* * *

BeastBoy took the envelope,

Removing it from Raven's gentle grip.

He was probably hard for Raven to shop for,

Most likely a gift certificate.

* * *

But when he opened the envelope he found it to be empty,

Taken slightly off guard.

He turned it upside down before peering inside,

Verifying not so much as a card.

* * *

He looked up to ask,

To try to understand or reason why.

If this was supposed to be a joke,

She'd have been better off hitting him in the face with a pie.

* * *

But before he could even utter a syllable from his half open mouth,

She grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up past her hips.

She'd bent down to rest her other hand on his cheek,

Meeting him with a soft kiss on the lips.

* * *

Frozen in a brief state of shock,

After a minute, which had left quickly as it came.

Slowly closing his eyes to enjoy the moment,

Melting to the spot as if hanging over an open flame.

* * *

After what seemed like a lifetime,

Raven released her hold, removing her hands as her face pulled away.

Leaving BeastBoy sitting up on his knees like a trained puppy,

His eyes still closed, dreamily starting to sway.

* * *

BeastBoy half opened his eyes,

A goofy smile plastered on his face.

An almost vacant look to him,

As if someone had clubbed him with a mace.

* * *

"The envelope may be empty," she picked it up for him to see,

"But I would think the message is clear."

She locked eyes with him uncaring if he could still understand,

"Breath a word of this to anyone and I'll kill you come the first of the year."

* * *

And with those final words she walked away,

To the kitchen to prepare her morning tea,

Leaving BeastBoy still in position,

Doing her best to shake off a miniscule blush before anyone could see.

* * *

And that's when gravity resumed its duty as BeastBoy came to his senses,

Just before hitting the floor loud enough for everyone awake to hear.

But the impact did little to waver his smile,

"Too bad Christmas only comes once a year."

**

* * *

**

The End

This poem or story, whichever you prefer,

Is late I know, and excuses are probably the last thing you wanna' hear.

But better late than never,

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.


End file.
